Air-valve for radiators



F. E. ETZEL.

AIR VALVE Fon RADIATORS. IIIILIIIATIOII4 FILED API. I5. |919.

Patented .my 2o, 1920.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. g

FRANK E. ETZEL, 0F MONTCLAIB., NEW JERSEY.

.AIR-VALVE FOR RADIATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Application led April 15, 1919. Serial No. 290,172.

T 0 all @07mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. ETZEL, a

citizen of the United States, and resident ofthe condensation of steam therein said valves very frequently become clogged with water to such an extent as to prevent the operation of the pin-valve that controls the outowing air with the consequent disadvantage that the air does not escape from the radiators and the latter are not properly charged with steam. p

The object of my invention is to provide improvements in the class of valves above referred to, designed toA insure draining of the water from the air valve to prevent such water from clogging thev passage from the radiator' into the valve casing, to insure the flow of air from the radiator into and out of said valve casing, whereby the radiator may become properly charged with steam at all times. Y Y

My invention comprises novel details of improvement that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein Figure l is a partly sectional side elevation of an air valve-for a radiator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a partly broken plan view-of by the stem 6. A cap 7 is detachably applied upon the neck 1LL and provided with an air.

exit opening 7a. Since said valve parts operate in the well known manner further detail description will be unnecessary.

At 8 is a nipple projecting from the base or cup l and adapted to be screwed n a radiator in the usual manner for attaching the valve thereto. At 9 is indicated my improved drainage tube in tubular form shown having a laterally disposed portion located within a bore 8n of the nipple 8 and also having a depending portion which is adapted to be located within the radiator tube to which the nipple 8 is attached.` The tube 9 at the inner end has a flaring portion at 9, shown in the forni `of a bell-mouth, located within the cup or base l, whereby the tube` is retained 'in place in the nipple. The lower end of the tube 9 is also flaring or bellmouthed at 9b. At 9C the tube 9 is provided with an opening or slot shown in elongated 1 form, located along the upper portion of the tube, and at 9d is a similar elongated opening or slot at the under portion of the tube opposite the opening 9C. At the lower bellmouth portion the tube 9 is provided with one or more narrow elongated openings or slots 9e. The aforesaid openings serve to permit the entrance of air and steam into the tube. The tube 9 may be formed at its inner end of such dimensions as to permit it to be passed through the bore in the nipple 8 from the outside inwardly into the cup l, and the tube may then be turned around in such a position as to permit the end 9a to be iared and widened, whereby the tube will be retained movably attached to the cup as shown. After the tube has been flared, as stated, the parts may be assembled. The bore Sa is shown outwardly tapering or ilaring which has the advantage of permitting the tube to be suitably manipulated when its end 9a is being flared, and also serves to facilitate the outflow of water from the valve casing and cup. The tapering form of the bore Sa also serves to cause waterv that might tend to clog around the tube 9 in said bore to gather at the end of the latter and thereby be induced to flow along the tube or to be drawn into the slot or opening in the tube due to the How of water through the tube. By thus keeping the bore 8a free from water accumulation and clogging, the

slots or openings 9"', 9d are also Vkeptfree and open for the entrance of air and steam `into the upper portion of the tube from the outside, at all times, in addition to air entering the tube from, its lower open end, whereby water is permitted to run freely from cup or base 1 into and through the tube, and some of such water may drain through the lower opening 9d. A further advantage is that air and steam may enter the tube and valve casing at one place or another through such openings or slots, when a bubble of Water becomes lodged in the lower portion of the tube tending to close the passage therethrough. Under ordinary conditions the water would iiow from cup or base l to the lower end of tube 9, but after most of the water had drained off there might be some that would remain at said end, possibly hanging suspended at the end, within the tube, tending to clog the outlet opening and possibly closing it against entrance of air or steam. Slot or slots 9e adjacent to the .lower end of the tube per-v mit steam or air to enter the tube above such water and thus the tube is kept open at its Vlower part for the. admission of air and steam, so that if water should gather at the lower end of the tube, tending to clog it, air

water into the tube 9. Such water is frequently covered with an oilylilm that will not readily enter a small opening, but the bell-mouth portion 9aN of the tube 9 overcomes such objection by preventing such oily water from accumulating and blocking the entrance to the tube, since the width of the i opening 9*L is such as readily to permit such film to be broken to permit water to fiow freely into the tube. In case the water becomes lodged in the tube between slots 9c, 9d and the inner end of the tube, air or steam from the radiator entering the tube through a slot 9 or 9d, or both, will more readily dis- Y place such water due to the gradually in" vantage of closing the tube to the passagev of air and steam but the downwardly tapering vor bell-mouth shape of the tube at the lower end causes the water thereat to spread as it passes through the tube, and the water that does not tend to readily drip off will gather at the widest part of the tube mouth where it may hang suspended. The advan- Y Vtage is that the tube is kept free from water in the depending portion except for such small amount of water as may gather at the extreme lower end, and even should such water tend to clog the lower outlet of the tube for any length of time the slots 9e above such water will admit air or steam into the tube, as before stated, to prevent clogging of the latter to the detriment of air or steam.

My improvements are simple in construc tion and effective in use, and do not depend upon capillary action toV induce the iow or draining of water from the cup or base but serve eifectually to cause drainage of they latter at all times, whereby the free entrance of air and steam into the valve casing is maintained so that the air forced into the valve casing from the radiator may escape from such casing to permit entrance of -`steam to insure proper and continued charging of the radiator with steam.

What I claim and desire to'secure by LettersV Patent is l. Anrair valve for radiators comprising a base or cup, Vand a mainly impervious drainage tube communicating therewith,

said drainage tube having an opening in its wall to admit air and steam and having a widened entrance portion within the base orcup. v

2. An air valve -for radiators comprising a base or cup having a nipple provided with an outwardly tapering bore, and a drainage tube having a portion located in said bore, said tube having an elongated opening within said bore; Y

8. An air valve for kradiators comprising a base or cup, and a drainage tube extending Y therefrom and having a depending portion provided with a flaring lower end, said tube having one or more openings adjacent to the said flaring lower end.

4l. An air valve for radiators comprising a base or cup, a nipple provided with an outwardly tapering bore, and a Vdrainage tube having-a laterally disposed portion within said bore inclining downwardly therein and provided with a bell-mouth entrance portion within the base or cup, said tube having a downwardly extending portion provided with a flaring lower end, said tube having one'or more slots at its upper portion.

5. An air valve for radiators comprising l a base or cup7 a nipple provided with an outwardly tapering bore, and a drainage tube havinga laterally disposed portion within said bore inclining downwardly therein, and provided with a bell-mouth entrance of the'passage` portion within the base or cup, said tube havino a downwardl extendinfr ortion .b Y v P provided with a Haring lower end, Said tube havin@` one or more slots at its u 3er ortion c a and having one or more slots at lts lower flaring portion.

6. An air valve for radlators comprising a base or cup having a nipple provided with an outwardly tapering bore and a drainage tube having a portion located in said bore l0 and having a receiving end communicating with Said base or cup, said tube inolining downwardly and outwardly in said bore.

Signed at New York, n the county of New York and State of New York this 11th l5 day of April A. D. 1919.

FRANK E. ETZEL. 

